I have read many definitions of content marketing but, whenever somebody asks the question: "What is content marketing?" none of those definitions really get the message across.

I've put together three definitions which I think are more succinct, if a bit similar.

Which one do you think is best? Your comments would be most welcome...

And if you have a better one, let's here it. Click through to post your comment.

Thank you!

Best wishes

Colin

A good, short, sharp presentation grabs the audience by the throat and gets to the point fast. Then, when you have their attention, ask for the referral.

Don’t try to be cute or oblique, and you’re not telling a joke with a punch line at the end – remember you’re scrapping for your audience’s attention. Even if they look like they’re listening, it doesn’t take long for a person’s mind to go wandering.

Simple and succinct beats rambling every time.

A good formula is the proven AIDA principle – Grab Attention, stimulate Interest, create Desire and call to Action.

Did you know that reliance on search engines is changing the way we think? Perhaps even, our ability to think at all...

And what does this mean for marketing?

According to a study by Betsy Sparrow at Columbia University, we are re-organising the way we remember things.

Photo by Pixomar

In a society where consumers are spoilt for choice, it would be prudent to wonder: "What influences them to make the choices that they do?"

Faced with making a decision about a purchase? Apparently we have already made our decision, even when we take time to think things over.

I had somebody ask me recently what he could do to establish how his business was performing – lead conversion, how inquiries  were being handled, customer service etc. – because he was so involved in the operational side of the business he had lost track of what was happening in the sales and service areas.

If you are more involved in operational matters and you’re worried you’re not keeping your fingers on the pulse of the customer sales and service, it is incredibly important to first make sure that you have put in place processes and procedures for staff to follow.

If they’re clueless and dropping the ball, you have only yourself to blame.

That’s a given. If you’re too busy, outsource it.

Read on for some tips on how to find out what's really going on in your business...

Photo by Ambro

There’s a story about two men who are walking through the forest one day. Suddenly a grizzly bear comes tearing through the bush towards them, all fury, claws and fangs!

The one man glances at the other. “Quick Ken, run!”

Photo by Michael Elliott

“Of course it is,”' said the Queen. “Now here you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else you must run at least twice as fast as that!" -- Lewis Carroll, Through The Looking Glass and What Alice Found There, 1871

Today, organisations “need to run hard just to stay where they are, particularly when a company throws money at a problem instead of being transformative.” -- Roger von Oech.

Why are most business strategies today ineffective, and how can it be fixed?

Photo by: Dream Designs

Like a regular noise or a persistent smell, people filter out almost all of the marketing they’re exposed to. Instead, the research online and they rely on the advice and referrals of people they know or trust to influence their purchasing decisions.

1. B2B purchases of products or services are rarely, if ever, impulsive or point of sale driven.